Character Relationship Map: Since

Characters

• Lyndon B. Johnson (played by Ondine) — protagonist

  The main organizer of the staged assassination reenactment. As Johnson he initially mistakes himself for Kennedy, identifies Ingrid Superstar as Jacqueline Kennedy, announces he will hire assassins, f...

• Jacqueline Kennedy/Lady Bird Johnson (played by Ingrid Superstar) — protagonist

  First assigned the role of Jacqueline Kennedy, then told by Ondine to play Lady Bird Johnson. After the shooting she asks who got shot, plays with another performer's hair, and is criticized for not t...

• Jacqueline Kennedy (played by International Velvet) — supporting

  Portrays both Jacqueline Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson. As First Lady, she asks who was shot, interacts with another actor, and comments on omitting poverty and paranoia regarding the War on Poverty.

• John F. Kennedy (played by Mary Woronov) — supporting

  Portrays President Kennedy in the assassination restagings. She waves a large sheet of red paper as the bullet effect, is shot with a banana by Malanga and later by Cutrone in pretend slow motion, and...

• John Connally (played by Richard Rheem) — supporting
• Lee Harvey Oswald/Jack Ruby (played by Gerard Malanga) — minor

  Appears as an assassin and later as Lee Harvey Oswald. He shoots the Kennedy performer in pretend slow motion, is shown being taken with Malanga, is shot by Malanga's Ruby while falling to his knees w...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Lyndon B. Johnson → Jacqueline Kennedy/Lady Bird Johnson (spouse)
• John F. Kennedy → Jacqueline Kennedy (spouse)
• Lee Harvey Oswald/Jack Ruby → Jacqueline Kennedy (Professional Shared Performance) — Their connection is based on participation in the same performance structure.

  Cutrone participates in the staged shootings and later joins the scenes in which the presidential motorcade and first-lady role are improvised.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• John Connally → John F. Kennedy (related)
• Lyndon B. Johnson → Jacqueline Kennedy (related)
• Lyndon B. Johnson → John Connally (related)
• Lyndon B. Johnson → John F. Kennedy (related)
• Jacqueline Kennedy/Lady Bird Johnson → Jacqueline Kennedy (related)
• Jacqueline Kennedy/Lady Bird Johnson → John Connally (related)
• Jacqueline Kennedy/Lady Bird Johnson → John F. Kennedy (related)
• Lee Harvey Oswald/Jack Ruby → Jacqueline Kennedy (Social Shared Ensemble) — Their relationship is an ensemble connection created by the repeated reenactment.

  Cutrone's staged Oswald performance occurs alongside the presidential motorcade scenes containing the Jacqueline Kennedy role.

Story Analysis

A staged assassination repeatedly replays presidential roles until performance, violence, and absurdity become indistinguishable.

Plot Progression

1. Roles Before Reality — The film introduces a television-like playback structure in which performers may change identities. An assassination is announced before the performers establish a stable version of the event.
2. Rehearsing The Presidency — The shooting is repeatedly restaged with red paper, bananas, slow motion, and a couch used as a motorcade. The first-lady role is reassigned and treated as an unstable performance.
3. Execution As Playback — The assassin performers are escorted through a passageway and ordered to repeat the violence for greater shock. The Oswald and Ruby identities become interchangeable during the staged execution.
4. The Motorcade Collapses — The presidential motorcade is replayed while performers debate the scene and receive an inflatable Baby Ruth bar as a message. The performance becomes increasingly hostile and incoherent.
5. Absurd Presidential Finale — The performers are beaten with inflatable bars, while whips and another staged shooting intensify the spectacle. A press conference and a final kick of the inflatable bar end the film.